Born 1943 in Lwów, Elzbieta Sikora studied piano at the Liceum Muzyczne of Gdansk. From 1963-68 she studied sound engineering with Antoni Karuzas and from 1972-77 composition with Tadeusz Baird and Zbigniew Rudziński at the State High School of Music in Warsaw.

Upon graduation, she went to Paris to study electro-acoustic music with Pierre Schaeffer and François Bayle at the Groupe de Recherches Musicales (1968-70). In 1973, together with Krzysztof Knittel and Wojciech Michniewski, she founded the composers' group (KEW), with which she performed in Poland, Sweden, Austria and Germany.

In 1981, a French Government scholarship allowed her to attend a computer music course at IRCAM, Paris, where she also studied composition with Betsy Jolas.

She was invited as composer in residence by the City of Mannheim, and received the Kościuszko Foundation scholarship to study with John Chowning at CCRMA (Computer Center for Research in Music and Acoustics) at Stanford University, USA. For many years, as a professor at the Conservatoire Gabriel Fauré and at the Fine Arts School in Angoulême, she taught electro-acoustic music.

Her honors include 2nd Prize at the Carl Maria von Weber Competition in Dresden (1978, for the opera Ariadne), honorable mentions at the Electro-acoustic Music Competition in Bourges (1980, for The Waste Land and Letters to M.), 1st Prize at the competition for women composers in Mannheim (1982, for Guernica), Prix Magisterium (for Aquamarina in Bourges, France), two SACEM awards in 1994: Prix Pédagogique (for Chant'Europe) and Prix du Printemps (for lifetime achievement).

In 1996 she received the award of the French Association of Authors and Composers for the opera L'Arrache-coeur.

In 1997 she was awarded the Officer's Cross of Merit. Elzbieta Sikora became "Personality of Radio Gdansk" in 1998.

Her latest awards are: the Künstlerinnenpreis of the City of Heidelberg (2000), special mention of the Jury de l'Académie du Disque Lyrique (2003, for Le Chant de Salomon and Eine Rose als Stütze, recorded by Chant du Monde).

She received the title of Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2003) from the French Ministry of Culture. In 2007 her Oliwa Concerto was awarded "Storm of the year" by the readers of Gazeta Wyborcza.

Elżbieta Sikora lives and works in Paris, France. Her works are published by: PWM, Stoklosa Editions, Poland; Chant du Monde, France; Ariadne Verlag, Austria and are performed around the world.

Major compositions:

Heart Brightening Songs for soprano and five instruments (1973), Guernica - Hommage à Pablo Picasso for choir (1975-79), According to Pascal for trumpet, harp, cembalo, cello and recitation (1977), Ariadne, chamber opera (1977), The Head of Orpheus I for tape (1981), The Head of Orpheus II for flute and tape (1981), Janek Wiśniewski, December, Poland for tape (1981-82), Solo for violin (1983), L'Arrache-coeur, opera (1984,1992), Rappel II for orchestra & transformations (1988), Suite for cello and tape (1990), Suite II for harpsichord, tape & transformations (1990), Le Chant de Salomon for soprano and chamber ensemble (1991), String sextet, hommage à Witold Lutosławski (1993), Suite III (baroque) for orchestra (1997), Omnia Tempus Habent, Gdańsk Oratorio for alto voice, boys' choir, mixed choir, organ & orchestra (1997), Aquamarina for tape (1998), In Memoriam Ursula, 3rd String Quartet (1998), Lisboa, tramway 28 for saxophone and tape (1999), Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1, hommage à Frédéric Chopin (1999-2000), Rouge d'été, electro-acoustic music, (2002), Michelangelo - Concerto for saxophone & orchestra (2005), Oliwa Concerto for organ and orchestra (2007), South Shore for harp and orchestra.